


HEADCANON #3 - Winchester Costumes

by TheGoodShipLuLo (InkwellWarriors)



Series: Headcanons of Norway in Hell [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Baby!Sam, Costumes, Gen, Halloween, NiH, Norway in Hell, There's Norway in Hell This Could Ever Work Out, back story, kid!Dean, midnight adventures, responsible Dean, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-22
Updated: 2013-06-22
Packaged: 2017-12-15 18:36:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/852740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkwellWarriors/pseuds/TheGoodShipLuLo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Headcanon request by <a href="isingintheshower93.tumblr.com">isingintheshower93</a>:<br/>"hey can you do a headcannon of how dean and sam picked out their costumes or them trick or treating ? please??"</p>
            </blockquote>





	HEADCANON #3 - Winchester Costumes

**Author's Note:**

> So I somehow managed to take a request about costumes and turn it into a four page almost-tearjerker? I don’t know why this happens but it’s not the first time. Also, these headcanon requests always turn out to be more backstory development than headcanon but I really like that. Sometimes the parents give me more feelings than Loki/Lucifer. Oh well. So anyway, this turned out to be more of an elaboration of NIH!John than it did about costumes but I hope you like it anyway! :/ (Sorry for the delay) Thanks for the request and your support!  
> ~Captain

     “Bye, boys! I’ll see you on Friday for the festival and then we’ll go trick or treating on Saturday, kay?” Anna said, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and waving to the Winchesters.

       Dean gave her a casual wave but didn’t look away from the TV. Sam sat on the carpet in the middle of the living room and flapped his arms at her. “Bye!”

       She smiled and turned back to John who handed her a couple of wrinkled bills. 

       “You sure it’s okay if they come along tomorrow?” he asked. His voice was gruff and tired and he didn’t really look at her when he talked.

       Anna stuffed the money in her pocket. “Yeah, it’s fine. I figured Cas would want Dean to come along anyway and Sam’s no trouble. Really, don’t worry about it. And my brother can pick them up tomorrow.” 

       “Alright. I’ll drop them off on Saturday around 5:30.”

       “Sure.” Anna waved to Sammy one more time before turning around and heading out the door to walk back home.

       John shut the door behind her and latched it shut. He tossed his keys on to the side table and shrugged off his jacket as he made his way into the kitchen. It was barely 6:00 but he was already exhausted; his job had the tendency to wear him out. With strange hours and the always changing location, John’s job kept him on his toes but left him dead on his feet. 

       He draped his jacket over one of the dining room chairs and dragged himself into the kitchen. The fridge had little to offer; it was high time he went to the grocery store but it was rare he found the time. There was a reason Anna had to order pizza whenever she came over to babysit. In the end, he grabbed a beer and the last slices of pizza leftover from when Anna served the boys dinner and collapsed into the recliner.

       Dean was watching some cartoons and Sam had hauled himself up on the couch next to him. Both of them were fixated on the screen and John looked at them fondly before flipping up the footrest and letting himself relax.

* * *

       The following day at work was particularly excruciating and John was glad his sons were out of the house. He wouldn’t mean to but had they been home he likely would have vented his frustration on them. John would never lay a hand on his boys, of course, but a few harsh words and a brusque attitude were never far from emerging. 

       He was out in the garage working on the Impala when he heard another car pull up in the driveway. Anna’s older brother was driving and he gave John a small wave as he parked. John didn’t know Lucifer very well; he’d seen him mostly in passing really as he dropped off or picked up the kids. The boy was a sight, that was for sure. The scars on his face seemed a part of him now but John could still remember when he was just a boy without that burden to bear. The accident that took the Miltons’ mother away had left its mark in more ways than one.

       Before then, the Miltons were like any friends or neighbors. They’d invite each other over for backyard barbecues and have friendly chats and the like. John and the father had been relatively good acquaintances but it was Mary and the mother who had been the best of friends. The two of them were the ones who brought the families together. And one of the great mysteries and travesties of life was that it took both of them leaving to intertwine the families forever. 

       Lucifer and Anna got out of the car and opened the rear doors. Lucifer hoisted a sleeping Dean out of the back seat and held him in one arm as he went around to the trunk to collect the boy’s prizes. Anna extricated Sam from his carseat and carried him up to the garage to meet John.

       “Hey, how’d it go?” John asked, setting his tools down. He held his arms out to take Sam but Anna shrunk back, eyeing the grease and sweat that covered most of his upper body. John looked down at himself and put his arms down. “Right, do you mind…?”

       Anna shook her head and smiled, walking past John into the house to put Sammy to bed. The trunk thudded shut and John looked up to see Lucifer trudging up the driveway with Dean and a bundle of festival gear. The boy gave him a curt nod and continued walking on into the house where he dropped off their winnings on the table and disappeared down the hall into Dean’s room. 

       When both boys were tucked away, Anna and Lucifer returned to the garage where John was still waiting so Castiel wasn’t left alone outside. John wiped his hands on a rag and went to go for his wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

       “Don’t worry about it,” Lucifer said, waving away his offer.

       “Goodnight, Mr. Winchester,” Anna put in, not giving John any time to argue the matter. The siblings walked back down the driveway and got in their car, backing out and driving off down the street as Anna gave him one last wave through the window.

       The night was closing in fast and John decided to close up shop for the day. He closed the garage door and headed inside, stopping to inspect the pile of goods on the table. His gaze rested on the little fish swimming around its little container. He bent down to look at it at eye level, watching the creature flit from side to side, back and forth, as if the next time he returned the walls would be less constricting. Just what we needed, John thought.

       After a shower and a quick check up on the boys, John returned to his armchair. It was just turning 9:00 but he was utterly spent. With the lull of the television in the background he was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

       Dean awoke to the undeniable need to use the bathroom. He looked around and found himself in his room. The last thing he remembered was getting into the car at the fairgrounds. He was still in his day clothes so whoever transported him here hadn’t bothered to change him into pajamas. 

       Rubbing his eyes, he scooted off his bed and trudged down the hall to the bathroom to relieve himself. On his way back he happened to glance down the hall and see the flickering light of the television illuminating the walls. Curious, he plodded across the floor into the living where he found his father passed out in the recliner. 

       He tiptoed up to the chair and took the remote and the beer bottle from his dad’s hands. Setting the bottle down on a side table, he clicked the button to power off the television. The sudden silence disturbed John’s sleep and he jolted awake, making Dean jump. It was dark now and without the light of the television, they could each only see the faint outline of the other and the faint glow of their eyes. 

       “Dean?”

       “It’s okay, Dad,” Dean said, putting a hand on his father’s shoulder to anchor them in the dark of the living room. “You fell asleep.”

       Dean couldn’t see it but John’s face softened completely at his son’s words. The boy was only six years old and here he was looking after John and assuring him that everything was alright. That wasn’t right, wasn’t fair.

       John stroked Dean’s hair, picking out a stray piece of hay, and then heaved himself out of the chair. “Thanks, son. But right now we should be getting you to sleep. Which one of us is the dad around here anyway?” He could see the white of Dean’s teeth as he smiled.

       John ushered him back down the hall to his room where Dean climbed up into bed. “Dad?”

       “Hm?”

       “When are we gonna get our Halloween costumes?”

       John was silent. He’d promised Dean a few days ago that they’d go out shopping for Halloween costumes but with work and everything he’d completely forgotten. What was worse, he had to be out on the job by 6:00 in the morning and wouldn’t return for most of the day. On early days like tomorrow, John dropped the boys off at Bobby’s. Anna was a great babysitter but John thought it rude to wake her up so early, especially on weekends. She did enough work as it was; she deserved a break every now and then. Bobby was an old friend of sorts who lived on the outskirts of town where he managed a scrap yard and also taught shop classes at the high school. He was a little rough around the edges but he cared about Sam and Dean and never hesitated to step in when he was needed. Even so, he wasn’t really one to take the boys shopping and John would feel strange asking.

       “What time is it?” The two of them looked over where Dean’s digital clock shone. 10:41. “You know what? Get your shoes on.”

       “Huh?”

       “Grab your shoes and jacket, let’s go now.”

       “We’re going to the store at night?”

       “Yeah, it’ll be an adventure.” John’s voice took on a rather lively tone, one that rarely appeared since Mary’s death. He hurried out of the room while Dean obediently put his shoes on. John eased Sam out of bed and wiggled the toddler’s shoes on with one hand. With Sammy still asleep on his chest, he grabbed both of their jackets and called for Dean to meet them in the car. 

       John strapped Sam, who was beginning to wake up, into his carseat. The boy’s eyes cracked open and took in his surroundings blearily. “Caw?” he mumbled.

       “Car, yep. We’re going on a trip.” By the time Sam was buckled in, Dean rocketed out of the door and into the backseat, now wide awake.

       John slid into the driver’s seat and started the car, the Impala’s signature rumble breaking the silence on the quiet street. The drive to the nearest Wal-Mart took barely five minutes but Dean was already bouncing in his seat. Sam was awake now too and he was babbling to Dean, mimicking his excitement.

       Despite the late hour, there were still a few other cars in the parking lot. The Winchesters got out of their car and strode into the store, taking a moment to situate Sam in a cart. They made their way back to the Halloween department which had already been thoroughly picked over. There were very few costumes left but Dean saw the shiny sheriff’s badge and was sold. He plucked it off the rack and held the packaging close to his body, a huge grin on his face. 

       The toddler section held just as many selections but Sam wasn’t picky either. They browsed through the remaining costumes until one struck their fancy. John flipped by a moose costume and Sam squealed, holding his hands up by his head and wiggling his fingers in what John could only assume was a pantomime for antlers.

       Both he and Dean laughed. “Alright, moose it is then.”

       They took their choices up to the checkout where a tired looking woman rang them up. She looked confused but didn’t say anything about their late night expedition.

       With their packages in hand, the boys made their way back out to the car and drove home. John tucked Sam back into bed and flicked the light off and then went to check on Dean. He’d changed into his pajamas this time and was crawling under the covers when John peeked in. 

       “Goodnight, Dad.” Dean sighed, wiggling further under his blanket, sleepiness already edging its way into his voice.  ”That was a really fun adventure. We should have adventures more often….” John smiled and sat on the side of the small bed. He pulled the Cars comforter up to his eldest son’s chin and gently patted the top of his head.

       “Good night, Dean. Sweet dreams.”

       Dean watched him walk to the door, then sat up. “Dad?”

       John’s fingers stilled over the lightswitch. “Yeah, son?”

       Dean’s small fingers traced over the lightning bolt on Lightning McQueen’s side. “Will you be here tomorrow? To help us put on our costumes?”

       John’s chest tightened at the cautious hope in Dean’s voice, and he knew before he spoke that he was letting his boy down. “No, sorry, Dean. You and Sam get to hang out with Uncle Bobby, though.”

       Dean almost visibly deflated and he sank down into his bed again. “Oh. Okay. Night, Dad.”

       After a last look at his eldest, John shut off the light with a soft “Good night.”

**Author's Note:**

> standard disclaimer applies: Supernatural and all affiliated characters are not ours, we merely play with the characters in our own little world. We are making no money off this work and do not intend to. We do not own Cars or Lightning McQueen either.  
> Also, that Walmart is real and we don't own it.


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